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7m old. 'Impacted' poo? Really need help, I've been crying my eyes out.

39 replies

LadyOfTheFlowers · 01/11/2010 14:23

DD is 7 months and was not herself on Friday, whingy and very clingy etc.

She has been producing dirty nappies, once a day, sometimes twice of normal soft poo. She is on Cow & Gate 6m plus, have not really started weaning as she is not interested. She drinks about 5 ounces of plain water as well as her feeds - this always kept her regular but it seems this is no longer working. :(

This morning, she started screaming for no reason - one second was laughing then screaming, her face went almost purple and she was straining.
Led her across my lap, whipped nappy off and (TMI...) there is this greeny coloured, rock hard sausage poking out, she is screaming still and bucking around, trying to sort of get away from the pain.
As much as I try to help, wiggling it a bit etc, I'm not helping, it just snaps off and you can see the rest of it up there.

This goes on for about 10 mins, I quickly run a warm shallow bath for her to lie in to try to soak it a bit, relax her. It helps a bit, she pops a little marble sized bit out then the rest ofit went back up. She was exhausted and was almost asleep in the towel before I could even get from bathroom to lounge with her.

She cried out a couple of times in her sleep then woke up, screming began again, another big sausage. A little later a bit more and she has gone to sleep again.

All in all, and this is quite gross, if you put it all end to end I would say she has passed about 7 inches of it. Could it be coming to an end yet? It is bloody awful having to watch her and all I can do is stroke her etc. :(

I have given her some sugar water - on my mothers' advice Confused - not sure it will do anything?

What else can I do?

It is not solid, I would say it is as hard a plasticine, so quite hard. Her poor little bum is all red and purple around the opening. :(

Sorry it's long, trying to give a clear picture.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
LadyOfTheFlowers · 02/11/2010 18:44

Mentioned on here.

Typo central. Blush

OP posts:
vintageteacups · 02/11/2010 19:26

Try giving her carrot mash/puree regularly - carrots great for keeping the bowel regular too.

jollyma · 03/11/2010 20:53

Glad it got better. I never liked using the glycerine suppositorys but ds would sometimes be so constipated it was horrible to see him so distressed. It was reassuring to know i had one in the changing bag in case he needed it. They were recommended by a paediatrician who saw him upset one day.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 03/11/2010 20:56

definitely go back on to the stage 1 milk, the stage 2/3 stuff only exists as a marketing ploy.

Hope she feels better/clears it soon, I know how awful it can be x

vintageteacups · 04/11/2010 11:30

Follow on milk is also fortified with extra iron so that's perhaps why it can constipate so badly.

cheerypip · 04/11/2010 11:33

Just wanted to agree with the theory that the follow on milk has something to do with it ... swapped my dd at 6 months assuming that was the 'right' thing to do and although not as bad as you (she is half and half breast and formula anyway) it definitely stiffened up her poos. I swapped back and it took a good week to get back to normal. Stomach massage helped a lot ...

Rocketbird · 04/11/2010 11:35

Poor little thing, glad she is better.

We've had poo problems and I have a box of Movicol now. If I see DD having issues then I pop a little bit of it into her milk, only a little and it's only happened twice in her 2.9 years. It clears it really well. I'd rather do that than have the stress of the above. DD's bottom was red raw and bleeding :(. Doctor said Movicol was the best thing as her diet is good. I occasionally have issues and it is horrible, wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

LadyOfTheFlowers · 04/11/2010 16:14

That's interesting that it can take a week to clear.

I have been really worried as since I used glycerine she has not pooed again yet. Since then she has also been back on stage 1 milk.

Confused
OP posts:
LadyOfTheFlowers · 05/11/2010 12:17

Anyone any ideas/experience on this?

Or is it possible it is all backing up again? :(

OP posts:
Woodhen · 05/11/2010 14:11

My son suffered like this when he was little and its horrible to watch - the sugar water thing does work but I only ever used it as a last resort and it needs to be unrefined brown sugar. My doc also used to prescribe lactose syrup but you can buy it at the chemist.
Circular massage is good, keep the circle going clockwise, cycling the legs whilst they are laying down and gently pushing the legs up to the tummmy can help them get a hard poo out, difficult to describe!!
Def get rid of the follow on milk - we gave it to my son thinking thats what you did at six months and bless him he was in agony - they really dont need it unless as another poster said a doc recommends.
Really hope its all passed now - no pun intended!!

mrsmeadweed · 05/11/2010 14:51

My DS was about 18 months when it happened to him. GP prescribed lactulose - we had to have it on repeat prescription - he was on it for about 4 months.

The problem is if they've had a big blockage, it can stretch the rectal muscles and it just fills up with poo again. It can take weeks for the muscles to recover.

Keep an eye on her nappies for leakage. If she gets blocked up again, liquid poo can leak around the blockage.

Suppositories didn't really help my DS - he kept pushing them out before they had a chance to work!

LadyOfTheFlowers · 05/11/2010 16:25

oh great... leakage sounds about right... :(

nearly every nappy i have had off her has had, for want of a nicer word, a skid mark in it and when i look at her bum there is a little dab of wet poo but nothing more.

she is probo blocked up again then.

worth going to the docs or is it all just stuff i can get from the chemist tonight for her?

OP posts:
shadycharacter · 08/11/2010 14:16

My son was like this for a long time, it started at around the same age. We dealt with it ourselves for a long time as docs gave us lactulose which didn't help. It got to the point where we would be out somewhere, he'd start straining and that's it we'd have to get him home sharpish and try to massage it out for him.

Prune juice helps to clear out pretty quickly so maybe give her some of that for now? I'd get to the docs asap as the whole ordeal gave my son a bit of a poo complex and he used to hold it in because he was scared of the pain, it used to make his bottom bleed :( While he was potty training he used to hide in a corner when he needed to go and I had to physically hold him on the potty as he'd be desperate for a poo but didn't want to let it out, so if he was in the squatting position on the potty, he couldn't hold it in but he screamed his head off the whole time, covered in sweat then totally worn out and ready for a sleep afterwards. It was horrific.

I think you should go to your GP and ask for movicol, my DS was on it for about a year, it really helped him, he's 3 now and is absolutely fine, just wish I'd asked for movicol sooner!

par05 · 12/11/2010 23:43

my dd suffers from constapation/impacted poo she has done since 3yrs now 7yrs i give her lactalose 5ml everyday it helps soften the poo! can get from docs or chemist

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